Ice cube pan lifter



Jan. 10, 1933. M. K, BUCHANAN ICE CUBE PAN LIFTER Filed Sept. 28, 1929 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1933 p I I "UNITED s'm 'rizsv PATENT OFFICE MICHAEL KERIN BUCHANAN, OF OCEAN VIEW, VIRGINIA ICE CUBE PAN LIFTER Application filed September 28, 1929. Serial No. 395,927.

My invention relates to improvements in Figure 3 is a sectional view through my ice cube pan lifters for mechanical refrigerdevice, with parts thereof shown in elevaators, and it consists in the combinations, tion; constructions and arrangements herein de- Figure 4 is a sectional view, on line Jr-'4'. 5 scribed and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide vice, portions thereof being shown in elean ice cube pan lifter that by simple mechanvation; and ical means is raised from its supporting slide Figure 5 isa perspective detail view of a when frozen thereto for the purpose of reportion of the device. moving the same from a freezing chamber. In carryingout my invention, 1' make use Afurther object of my invention is to raise of an ordinary ice cube freezing pan 1 used the grid containing the frozen cubes from for freezing water into ice cubes in the'freezthe base of the pan, breaking the connection ing chambers 2 of a mechanical refrigerator of said frozen cubes to the base and sides of 3. These pans 1, as is very well known, are the pan, due to freezing. of the conventional form comprising an or- 65 A further object of my invention is to dinary shallow pan 4 containing a grid 5, provide a simple mechanical means which consisting of walls'transecting one another, breaks the frozen connection between theeand forming with the walls of the pan and bottom of the pan and the slide support in the bottom thereof a plurality of cubical the freezing chamber in a sufficiently small freezi g cha b 6, I a i 7 movement to permit the pans to be placed To the front of the pan 1 I secure by weldclose to the supporting slide, thereby doing ing or other suitable processes my mechaniaway wlth gu de a ls on sa d supporting cal lifter,generally designated at 7. Connectslide to prevent freezing to said supporting ed to and projecting from the front endof the slide, and economizing the use of space pan adjacent the upper and the lower por- 75 0 A further 'JQ Of y Y n qn is P 'P- tions thereof are the supports 8 and 9 adapted 4 vide an ice pan lifter that Wlllrm the g to support the front plate 10 secured thereto for permitting the easy fill ng of the pa by any suitable means. Comprised between Wlth Water for freezmg P p $11106 the supports are the post bearing members 3 well known the grids of ice cube pansare 11 d 12 hi h id spaced b in 80 fitted so closely to the Walls and base of h faces 13 and 14in which the reduced portion pan that the passage of Water from one cubr- 15- f pan Operating post b 1 i cal chamber to another 15 P Q journaled. Comprised between the post bear- D Q oblect of y mvelltlon 13 9 P ing members 11 and 12 and fixedlymounted Y a dfwlce of fiyp descnbed Whlch 18 to the reduced portion 15 of the'cam operating 5 P constructlon, has few P Ft l post member 16 is the cam '17 substantially Is not hkely to get out of order 1 elliptical in shape and provided with the i F 2 i "igz gi g ihgg gi g lobes 18 and 19. As shown by the dotted lines ineowisciaa features of the ingention will be particulargg ii fi ggg iigfig g gggziigg 90 1y pomted out m the appended clalms' cube lobes 18 and 19, the projectingflange 20 My invention is illustrated in the accom- 1 Panying d i f i part f this fastened tp and comprising one of the wal s li ti i hi h; of the gr1d member 5, as is more clearly Figure 1 is a front elevational view, show- Shown 1n F g e a and h front face P FQ 95 ing my pan lifter operatively positioned on Shown a 21 111 Flgures 3 and 4 offthe Shdmg pans in the freezing chamber of a mechanical pp for p n 1- AS Sh 'vYI1 by h 1 refrigerator; I line position of this cam in Figure 4, when,

Figure 2 is a plan view of an ice cube pan turned in one operative position, the camv is equipped with my lifting device; thrown out of engagement with the flange 100 of Figure 3 of the operating parts of my dethe cubes,

portion 20 and the base portion 21 of the slidin said pans is facilitated thereby eliminating 1n support 22. the application of considerable manual force he cam operating post member l6 is pro-.

vided with an enlarged portion 23 projecting through an aperture provided therefor in the front plate 10 and providin of a handle 24 of sufiicient ength to provide enough leverage for the operatlon of the cam by the application of a small force.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the dev1ce, the operation thereof will be readily unde When it'is desired to freeze the water in the pan is removed from the'freezing chamber. The operator, by grasping and turning the handle 24, then rotates cam 17 from the full line position shown in Figure 4 to the dotted line position shown therein. This raises the grid 5 from the base and walls of the pan 4, as shown by the dotted lines. Water is then poured into any of the spaces provided by the grid 5 anddue to the spaced position of said grid 5 relative to the pan 4 uickly gasses between said pan and said grid,

lling t e pan. The cam is then rotated by handle 24 to the inoperative full line position of Figure 4. The pan is then slid onto the supportin slide 22' in the freezing chamber 2 for the reezing operation.

When the water has been frozen into cubes and it is desired to remove the same from the freezing chamber 2 and the freezing pan 1, the handle 24 is rotated, moving the cam 17 from the full line inoperativeposition shown in Figure 4 to the dotted line operative sition shown in said fi re. As appears r om an examination of igure 4, this operation raises the pan 4 from t breaking the frozen connection between the ttom of said pan and said supporting slide. Simultaneously. with this operation, the grid by means of the interenga ment of flange 20 and the other lobe of said iam 17 is raised from the base and walls of the pan 4 carrying the ice cubes with it. The frozen connection of the pan 1 to the supporting slide 22 in the freezing chamber 2 and between the grid 5 and the pan 4 having been broken, the an 1 can easily be withdrawn from the cham r 2 and the grid 5 lifted from pan 4. The ice cubes can then be readily removed from said grid by leaving the same exposed to the at, mosphere or by the pouring of water thereover.

It is thus seen that I have provided a simple mechanical means which may be applied to any conventional form of ice cube pan for mechanical refrigerators or may be constructed integrally with such an ice cube pan for breaking the frozen connections existing between said ice cube pans and their supports, and between theice cubes contained within the grids and the base and walls ofsaid ice cube pans, whereby the removal of said pans from said freezing chamber and said ice cubes at the end theregrid' and thebottom o ment of only about a. quarter of an inch, larger frlgerators,

e supporting slide 22 on the front plate 10 with ing, loosening, and sometimes severing of the connection between said front plate 10 andthe ice pans 1, as in ice cube pans of conventional structure.

.It is readily seen that as my device effective- 1y breaks the frozen connection between the freezing pan and asupporting slide andthe pans might be used due to the economy of space occasioned by the use of in device, and t e pans may be constructed 0 also clear that, due to the effective levera ratio obtained between the. operating han lo and operating cam, a frozen connection between the entire base of the pan and the su' porting slide might be easily broken,there y doing .away with the rails dlsclosed in Figure 4 with consequent reduction of the time required for freezing the liquid in the freezing pan. I claim l 1. In an ice means when operated for catsing breaking of the tween. the pan and its including means for breaking the frozen connection between the cubesand the pan. 2. In an ice cube pan for mechanicalrefrigerators, means for simultaneously breakconsequent weakenlighter ma-- terial, due to the fact that they are so easil removed from their supporting slide. It, is

cube pan for mechanical re frozen connection be support, said means the pan with a moveing the frozen connections between the pan forcibly raising the ice between the cubes and cubes from the pan,

whereby the frozen connection between said members is broken. a

4. An 1ce cube pan comprising a contammeans on'the exteincludingmeans for I ing pan. av grid, and cooperating means oh the grid and pan for raising and lowering the grid relative to said pan at will for breaking the ice cubes loose from the pan.

5. An ice cube pan comprising it containing pan, :1. grid, and unitary means for forcibly raising said containing pan from its supv port and said grid from the pan.

6. An ice cube pan comp'nsing a containlng pan, a grid, and unltarycam means for raising and lowering the pan relative to its su port and the grid relative to the pan.

f Means for facilitating the removal of ice cubes from an ice cube pan comprising means for raising the pan from its support, and means on the gaged by the raising means for the pan for raising the grid from the pan.

8. An ice cube pan consisting of a, shallow containing pan, a grid adapted to form the having a grid grid and enwalls of the ice cubes positioned in said shal low pan and having a projecting flange, and means for forcibly raising said shallow containing pan from its support and said grid from the pan, comprising a bilobated cam, secured to said pan, and adapted to engage said flange and said support, and means for operating the cam.

9. A device of the class described comprising .a shallow containing pan, a handle for manipulating the pan and rotatably mounted on the pan, a cam rotated by said handle, a grid in the pan and having a flange projecting into the path of the cam when said cam is revolved by the handle for elevating the flange and grid relative to the pan.

10. A device of the class described comprising a pan, a grid movably mounted in the pan, a movable handle on the pan, and operating means on the handle and grid adapted to be operatively engaged when the handle is moved for elevating the grid in the 11. A device of the class described comprising a pan, a grid remoyably mounted in the pan having a projecting flange, a support extending from one end of the pan and providing with bearings, a post rotatably mounted in the bearings, a cam secured to the post and engageable with the flange for elevating the grid in said pan, and a handle for r0- tating said post.

12. A device of the class described comprising a pan, a grid removably mounted in the pan having a projecting flange, a support extending from one end of the pan and provided with bearings, a post rotatably mounted in the bearings, a cam secured to the post and engageable with a fixed support on which the pan rests for raising the pan from the fixed support and for engaging the-flange and elevating the grid when said cam is rotated, and means for rotating the post.

13. In freezing apparatus for liquids,-the combination of a tray for making ice cubes, a grid within said tray adapted to form a plurality. of ice'cube molds, and cam means for raising the grid. from the tray.

14. An ice cube pan having means for 4 53 forcibly raising the pan from its support and the cubes from said pan, said means comprising a grid member su porting said cubes and a cam having one 10 e for engagement with saidv support and another lobe for engagement with said grid member.

15. An ice cube pan having means for forcibly raising the pan from its support and the cubes from said pan, said means comprisin a grid member supporting said cubes and a cam having lobes for simultaneous engage- Ibneent with said support and said grid mem- 16. An ice cube. pan having means for forcibly raising the pan from its support and 65 the cubes from said pan, said means comprising a grid member sup orting said cubes, a

cam having one lobe or en agement with said support and another 10 for engagement with said grid member, and lever means gperable between said pan and said grid mem- 17. In a freezing apparatus for liquids, the

combination of a tray for making ice cubes,

a grid within-the tray adapted to form a plurality of ice cube molds and manually operated means for raising or lowering at will the grid in the pan for breaking the ice cubes loose from the pan.

18. In a freezing apparatus for liquids, the combination of a tray, a grid within the tra and composed of a plurality of longitudina ly disposed walls and transverse walls rigidly connected together to form ice cube molds, and means for raising or lowering the grid in the pan at will for breaking the ice cubes loose from the pan.

19. In a freezing apparatus combination of a tray for making ice cubes, a grid within the tray adapted to form a plurality of ice cube molds and means for raising one .end of the grid in the pan at .will for breaking the ice cubes loose from the pan. I

2.0. An ice cube pan comprising a containingpan including anice cube forming grid 9 within the pan, a cam means on the exterior of the pan adapted to be revolved for forcibly raising the containing pan from its support, a shaft, rotatably mounted on the tray and connected to the cam for rotating said cam.

MICHAEL K. BUCHANAN.

for liquids, the l 

